You can't (or shouldn't) use your smartphone as a hammer, but that doesn't mean you can't use it in place of a number of other items you probably keep stored away in your toolbox. For checking levels, measuring short distances, and even as a reference guide, your smartphone is an amazing tool that saves you time and space. Here's how to use it to its full advantage.

Chances are that unlike your toolbox your smartphone is with you all the time and since you have it with you in every situation it makes for a great replacement set for traditional tools. You can cover everything from planning to actual tools to cover a ton of different aspects of your projects.

Plan Your Projects

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Before you start any DIY project you need to plan out how you're going to tackle it. Your smartphone makes this incredibly easy right out of the box, but plenty of apps exist to help you along the way as well.

To start, your smartphone's default apps already make planning a project easy. Your notepad can hold the measurements you need, your camera snaps pictures of parts that need replacement, and you can create a shopping list in any writing app.

Additionally you can grab specialized apps for all types of projects. Handy Man DIY for iPhone keeps track of measurements for all your various projects. Home Design 3D for iPhone and 3D Interior Room Design for Android help you plan out the layout of an entire room. Photo Measure for iPhone and My Measures for Android allow you to take a picture and draw measurements directly on the image so you have an accurate look of your house with you all time (an essential feature for anyone who hits up yard sales or used shops and is prone to purchasing random pieces of furniture). Countless other options exist for planning projects and many of them are tailored directly to the type of project you're doing. If you're a home improvement nut there's a good chance your "Project Planning" folder will be full of a bunch of different apps.

Replace Traditional Items in Your Toolbox

Since the Apple iTunes Store and Android Market first opened they have been flooded with all types of tool replacements. At first it was just flashlights and levels, but a few more have entered the arena in recent years.

On top of the obvious flashlights and levels we also have plenty of more innovative options. Advanced Ruler Pro for Android, for instance, can measure distance with just a picture. Acoustic Ruler Pro for iPhone measures distance with acoustic sound from your headphones. You can also pick up singular all-in-one apps like iHandy Carpenter for iPhone or Smart Tools for Android that stuff a ruler, measuring tool, compass, and level all into one app. Basically, whatever tool you need that could possibly be emulated on a phone exists and they're incredibly handy when you don't have the physical tools around.

Your Complete Reference Guide

Your smartphone is also a great replacement to all the manuals, books, and other reference materials you have laying around. Built-in apps like YouTube are a must-have for any DIYer and loading up your smartphone with your manuals is a great way to reduce clutter and have all the guides you'll ever need with you all the time (from personal expeirence this is also helpful in case you forget to write down a model number when you're shopping for a repair).

These days, most product manuals are available from manufacturer's websites pretty easily, so…
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Much like the wide variety of planning utilities, the reference materials are just as widespread. One of the most surprising home improvement utilities is the Home Depot App (iPhone/Android). On top of being a shopping app, it also includes a ton of how-to videos, an indispensable nut and bolt finder, and a few additional tools. For electronics tinkerers Circuit Playground for iPhone and ElectroDroid are reference tools that help you decode resistor colors, voltage, and more. Plenty of other reference tools exist for different projects, so regardless of what hobby you call your own you'll likely find something useful.

It's easy to forget that your smartphone is a useful utility for real world projects. While its primary usage will always be in the digital realm for most of us, your smartphone can make a fine replacement for your a lot of the items in your toolbox. How do you use yours?